


An Eye for an Eye

by whumpitup



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series)
Genre: Hurt Robby, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Language, Non-Graphic Violence, Post-Season 2, Whump, pre-season 3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:21:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28079097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whumpitup/pseuds/whumpitup
Summary: "What Robby had done to Miguel was accidental. This… this was intentional. He was going too far. This wasn’t just a fight anymore. Hawk wanted an eye for an eye."Set after 2x10.Robby's on the run. He's caught up in guilt over what he did to Miguel, but too scared to confront the consequences of his actions.It's not long before it all catches up to him (in the form of a certain Cobra Kai student hungry for revenge).
Comments: 6
Kudos: 44





	An Eye for an Eye

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this before trailers for season 3 came out, so obviously there are some inaccuracies, but whatever.  
> I have some of the next chapter written, but not completed yet. Hopefully soon! :)

The air was brisk for a September night in California. 

The fabric of Robby’s hoodie was thin; the wind cut through it easily. 

Robby was wandering down a mostly-deserted city street. His mind raced as he dodged the potholes in the sidewalk.

The occasional group of partiers or couples passed by, taking a second too long to look at his bloodied face before quickly looking away. Robby hadn’t been around a mirror long enough to evaluate the extent of the bruising, but his throbbing face and tender skin were enough to convince him it probably wasn’t pretty. 

It had been over 24 hours since the fight on the first day of school, though it all felt like one big blur to Robby. As much as he tried to push the painful memories away, parts of that day replayed mercilessly on a loop in his head.

The shouting and cheering from the surrounding crowd of students; Miguel, pinning him painfully face-down on the floor; Robby’s anger surging through every muscle, every nerve in his body until it boiled over and he …

_“Robby, what did you do?!”_

Robby pressed his eyes tightly shut and inhaled deeply as he continued walking. 

Even with his eyes closed, Robby couldn’t wipe the disturbing image of Miguel’s motionless body on the staircase from his mind. When he stood peering over the balcony, frozen in fear and shock and adrenaline. Hundreds of pairs of eyes focused on him - watching and waiting to see what he would do next. What _would_ he do next?

Robby wasn’t sure what exactly caused him to take off running in that instant. Maybe it was the fear that the officer checking Miguel’s pulse wouldn’t find one. Maybe it was the look in Sam’s eyes as she realized, in horror, what he had done. Maybe it was the realization that no matter what happened to Miguel, there would be severe consequences for his mistake. It was probably a mix of all three.

Either way, Robby ran, and he couldn’t take back that decision. He’d been in survival mode - constantly moving and hiding - ever since. 

Robby glanced indifferently at the street signs as he passed them. None of them were familiar. He wasn’t sure how far he had gone in the last day, and he didn’t know the area well. He hadn’t even gotten through a full day at his new school before it all went to complete shit. He was wandering aimlessly, but it didn’t matter. There was nowhere he cared to go. If there had been, he could’ve used the phone in his back pocket to get him there. The day before, he shut it off so as not to deal with any incoming calls from angry, worried, or curious people. 

“Hey!” 

Robby was pulled out of his ruminating thoughts by a loud shout somewhere behind him. He stopped and turned to find the source of the yell. He squinted, unable to locate anyone in the dark. Just as he resolved to ignore the yell and keep walking, he heard another. 

“Keene!”

Robby froze. _Shit._ He scanned the area frantically to find the person who was calling his name. Whoever it was, their tone was not friendly. 

He detected the vague outline of a small group of people approaching on the other side of the street several hundred feet behind him. _Who the hell…?_

The group was definitely coming towards him. Robby’s instinct told him to start backing away. 

Wait, was that - ? 

“Yeah, bitch, we found you,” Hawk called out. 

_Well, fuck._

Robby guessed he must’ve not made it too far from the school after all. He was wrong to think running would keep him from having to face his mistakes, but he thought karma would have at least waited a little longer to catch up with him.

Robby started walking quickly in the opposite direction of the group, hoping (stupidly) that they wouldn’t be invested enough to chase him.

“Oh, _Robby_ ,” Hawk called out in a sing-song voice. 

Robby had never really been intimidated by Hawk. He hadn’t known him before his apparent personality “transformation”, but even then, Robby could see through him. There was always a performative quality to Hawk’s new personality; a falseness, under the surface, to his bravado. But, Robby would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little unnerved by the way Hawk was calling his name across the empty street. It was only slightly serial killer-esque. 

The group sped up to match Robby’s pace. _Yep, they’re invested,_ he thought. 

“Hey, Keene!” Hawk called out again, beginning to sound agitated.

 _Just leave me alone_ , Robby wanted to shout. Though, he figured saying just about anything would make things worse and set Hawk off. The kid was just waiting for the opportunity to kick his ass. He had been for a while - what happened to Miguel only gave him a better motive. Instead, Robby said nothing and kept his pace.

“I know you can hear me, dumbass,” Hawk shouted louder. 

Robby slowed to a stop, sighed deeply, and finally turned around to face Hawk.

He could now more clearly see the group as they approached: Hawk and three of his groupies flanking him - none of which he knew the names of. Hawk had one hand clenched tightly into a fist, the other grasped a styrofoam drink cup from what Robby assumed was the convenience store. Again, Robby didn’t say a word. He felt his heart rate steadily increasing. If this turned into a fight, which it almost certainly would, the odds were not in his favor.

Hawk took a step forward into the pool of light below a street lamp. His eyes were narrowed. Bruises and cuts of multiple sizes and colors painted his face from the fight the day before.

“Figures you would run, Keene. You’re such a coward,” Hawk scoffed. Each word was sharp and caustic. Still, Robby didn’t have a response. In all honesty, he agreed with Hawk - he was a coward. 

“What, you’re just gonna stare at us? Say something!” Hawk reared back and flung his drink cup in Robby’s direction. Though Robby tried to duck, he was inevitably showered in brown liquid and ice. Hawk’s posse erupted in laughter behind him. 

Robby stood back up and met Hawk’s eyes. Some of his initial rage had been replaced by calculation and expectancy. He was eagerly waiting for Robby to make a move. In the past, something like this _would_ have made Robby angry. He might have even lost his temper. 

Not now. 

Robby used a hand to brush stray pieces of ice from his hair. It came away sticky from whatever soda had been in the cup. He frowned in disgust. As annoyed as Robby was, he wasn’t looking for a fight.  
  
After what happened with Miguel, he was fairly certain he wouldn’t look for a fight ever again. 

“I don’t want to fight you, Hawk,” he replied honestly and simply. 

“Yeah?” Hawk laughed, his voice rising in volume. “Well, you lost that chance the second you decided to kick my best friend over that railing.” 

Robby felt a sudden sharp pang of guilt deep in his chest. The image of Miguel falling reappeared in his memory again. He looked down at the pavement, blinking.

“I-” Robby started, unsure of what he could possibly say to Hawk to make anything better. He swallowed hard. “I’m so sorry,” he said somberly. 

Hawk curled his hands into fists tightly by his side. His jaw clenched. If there was a way to tell when someone reached their breaking point, Robby was pretty sure he witnessed it happen to Hawk in that moment.

“I fucking hate you, Keene,” he growled.

 _Shit_.

The second Hawk lunged forward, Robby took off running. A string of curse words escaped his mouth as he sprinted as fast as he could.

“Come back here, bitch!” Hawk shouted, alarmingly close behind.

Buildings and street lamps rushed past Robby’s peripheral as he ran. Like earlier, he had no plan - no idea of where he was even running to. He just knew there was a very real possibility that if he stopped, Hawk would kill him. 

Robby tried to ignore the pulling pain of his unhealed injuries from the fight. At least the adrenaline was making it bearable. 

Suddenly, a figure approached Robby’s right side. He careened left, narrowly avoiding the outstretched hand of the assailant trying to grab him. 

Unfortunately, moving away from one attacker brought him shoulder to shoulder with another. Robby barely had time to react before a hand latched onto his sleeve and flung him painfully to the ground. He groaned and rolled to the side, cradling his left arm which had scraped painfully against the cement when he landed. That would definitely leave a mark.

The pounding footsteps of the other boys came to a stop next to him. Robby tried to push himself up to a sitting position, but was forcefully shoved onto his back by Hawk. Hawk kneeled onto the sidewalk next to Robby’s torso with one leg, and placed the other knee on Robby’s chest, pressing his upper body into the ground.

“You’re not running away this time, Keene,” Hawk said, adding more pressure to Robby’s chest. Robby winced. “You’re gonna pay for what you did to Miguel,” he hissed, close enough to Robby’s face that he could feel his hot breath.

Hawk’s fist connected with Robby’s left cheekbone. His head snapped quickly to the side and pain radiated throughout his face. There was laughter and encouragement from the other boys. Robby has just started to turn his head again when Hawk threw another punch, this time hitting him square in the jaw. Robby grimaced, tasting blood.

The thing was, Robby could have defended himself. Hawk was fast and brutal in his fighting, but Robby’s technique and strategy were superior. They were a close match, but with intention, Robby could have easily beat him. Even before the fight, however, Robby had inwardly decided he was done using his karate. It didn’t feel right anymore. He was sure LaRusso would have approved of using it in this situation, as self-defense was very much warranted, but even then Robby couldn’t find it in himself to throw a punch. Not even at Hawk.

The pain almost felt like a deserved punishment to him. 

“First you run, now you won’t even fight back? What a pussy,” Hawk laughed.

Okay, that one pissed him off a little.

Robby dug his heels into the ground beneath him and used the leverage to thrust his bodyweight upwards and throw Hawk off of him. While Hawk was stunned, Robby landed a kick to the middle of his chest that sent him onto his back. Robby swiftly repositioned himself to hover over Hawk, reversing the dynamic completely. Robby placed the outside of his forearm on Hawk’s neck, just under his chin, applying pressure. He didn’t intend to hurt him, just keep him down. He used his free hand to hold Hawk’s chest down on the pavement. 

“Look,” Robby started exasperatedly, “I know you probably won’t believe me, but I swear to God I didn’t mean to push Miguel over that railing. I had no idea that would happen, and I regret it more than anything I’ve ever done. I swear - I swear I _never_ meant for that to happen.”

Hawk thrashed furiously against Robby’s hold.

“I don’t fucking care why it happened, Keene,” he snarled, “it’s still your fault.” 

Robby exhaled. There really wasn’t anything he could say to make Hawk hate him any less, was there?

Suddenly, Hawk’s narrowed gaze shifted past Robby; he nodded subtly at someone behind him.

Robby had almost completely forgotten about the other Cobras.

Two strong hands seized Robby’s shoulders from behind and hurled him onto his back. Robby gasped, the wind having been knocked out of him. As he rolled to his side, trying to pull air into his protesting lungs, two black sneakers emerged in his vision.

Though Robby anticipated what happened next, he was powerless from stopping it. Hawk took one step backward. Then, with a yell, he used all of his power to drive his foot into Robby’s stomach. Robby grunted in pain. He curled in on himself and wrapped his right arm around his midsection.

“Get him up!” Hawk shouted.

Robby coughed. Two sets of hands were on him, pulling him up to his feet against his will. One of the Cobras put him in a headlock, leaving him vulnerable.

Hawk sent two more hard jabs into Robby’s already aching abdomen. His instinct to double over was deterred by the Cobra holding him up. 

Hawk took a step back, then delivered a spinning hook kick straight to Robby’s right cheekbone. Robby’s head snapped to the side and his vision lit up with stars. The other Cobra released his grip, and Robby collapsed to the ground. 

_Fuck,_ the pain was intense. There was no way Hawk hadn’t broken at least one bone in his face with that kick. 

He panted, trying to regain his bearings. He wrapped his arms protectively around his stomach. At this point, he was starting to regret his decision not to fight back. Robby didn’t know if he could take any more hits.

He savored the few moments between the next assault to the best of his ability - sucking in deep breaths and trying to keep himself grounded to the earth that seemed to be spinning.

“Alright, you think he’s had enough?” one of the other boys asked. Though he said it with a chuckle, Robby thought he sensed a bit of unease in the kid’s voice. There was a long pause. The only thing Robby could hear was his own wheezing breaths.

Hawk moved to stand directly in front of Robby. Robby pulled his gaze up to meet his eyes. Hawk tipped his head slightly to the side and looked him up and down, perhaps deciding if he thought he’d gotten enough of a taste of revenge for one night. Then, he kneeled down to Robby’s eye-level. After a brief pause, the corner of his mouth twisted upward into a smirk. A chill ran through Robby’s body. 

“ _No mercy,_ ” Hawk whispered.

Suddenly, Hawk threw himself forward with a yell, knocking the two of them to the ground. He clasped his hands tightly around Robby’s throat. Robby’s whole body tensed and a stunned gasp escaped his lips. Hawk glared down at him as his hands squeezed his neck tighter and tighter, with a frightening, unrelenting intensity. His eyes were dark, focused, almost animalistic. 

Robby clawed at Hawk’s hands desperately, doing everything in his power to pry his fingers from their constricting hold. He choked and sputtered as he tried to force air into his lungs, his mind clouded with panic. Any thoughts of strategy or plans of counteraction were drowned in a sea of terror and dread. 

_Holy shit,_ _he’s gonna kill me!_ Robby realized.

What Robby had done to Miguel was accidental. This… this was intentional. He was going too far. This wasn’t just a fight anymore. Hawk wanted an eye for an eye.

Realizing Hawk’s grip was too tight to break, Robby resorted to kicking, hitting, and anything else he could try to get Hawk off of him. 

He dug his fingernails into Hawk’s upper arms, resulting in a yelp of pain from the boy that seemed only to motivate him further. Unfortunately, every one of Robby’s attempts were unsuccessful. He was losing his energy and strength with each second he was deprived of oxygen.

Robby’s heart pounded loudly in his ears. 

Pressure and pain was building in his head. If Hawk didn’t let go soon, he feared it might explode.

Robby’s throat burned.

Tears welled in his eyes.

His lungs screamed and screamed for air he couldn’t provide.

His vision began to blur - darkness crawling in from the edges. 

_No, no, no-_

As much as his brain screamed at him to struggle against Hawk’s hold, his legs no longer cooperated. He pawed weakly at Hawk’s hands. 

Through the pounding of his head and heart, and the loud ringing in his ears, Robby heard the muted shouts of the other boys behind Hawk.

“Hawk, _stop!_ ”

“Hawk, you made your point, man!”

“You’re gonna kill him!”

Robby’s arms dropped limply to his sides. 

The terror was subsiding. It melted into calm numbness. 

His eyes threatened to draw closed.

Part of him screamed to keep fighting.

The other coaxed him to lean into the peace.

Was he floating? It felt like he was floating.

There was a hand on Hawk’s shoulder. More shouting.

The world grew dimmer, more distant. 

Robby felt the pressure around his neck release, but even then he couldn’t pull in enough oxygen to keep the blackness from overwhelming him and sweeping him under.


End file.
